There’s a straight line from a German hotel kitchen in 1906 to a dining room in Highlands, and Restaurant Klapdohr is where it lands.
That hotel was his family’s – and the kitchen came with it. Chef Johannes Klapdohr is the fourth generation in a line shaped by hospitality. His great-grandfather opened Hotel Klapdohr in Germany in 1906; his grandparents went on to run two hotels of their own. His father raised him in the business, in a kitchen where fish arrived whole, meat was butchered in-house, and everything was made from scratch.
That foundation carried him to Berlin, where he served as executive chef at Schloss Glienicke, and then to the United States for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
From there, he became chef at the famed Nikolai’s Roof, before joining The Lodge at Sea Island. In 2009, he was recruited by his former general manager at The Lodge, Richard Delany, to Highlands, where he built the culinary program at Old Edwards Inn. By 2016, he had opened Library Kitchen and Bar in Sapphire Valley with partners Marvin and Helene Gralnick. Today, he runs the restaurant day-to-day alongside his wife, Liz.
Restaurant Klapdohr is intimate by design: 40 seats, 55 in summer when outdoor seating is possible. After years of larger operations, Klapdohr wanted something more direct. Guests at The Library had been nudging him toward Highlands for years; the mountain drive from town felt long. Now there’s no excuse.
The menu moves between two worlds without apology.
A Berkshire pork ribeye comes with Jimmy Red corn grits, Carringer Farms spring greens, and old-style kettle cane syrup – all of it distinctly Southern, without overworking it.
A few courses away, Dover sole arrives on European white asparagus, English peas, and local ramps, finished with a chive blossom sauce from the restaurant’s own garden.
Klapdohr sees no tension in this.
“Trade has always been part of humans,” he says. “Whether it’s Dover sole or caviar, we don’t alienate the whole world because we only use local ingredients.”
A South Carolina strawberry compote arrives paired with sautéed foie gras and pomegranate balsamic. Lobster lollipops – Maine lobster with a Jack Daniel’s honey glaze – are the kind of bite that shifts the register entirely.
The steak frites – Meadow Young beef tenderloin, Kennebec potatoes, Café de Paris butter – is already the top seller. The croissant bread pudding, built from croissants instead of standard bread and layered with dark and white chocolate, changes the texture and depth of the dish. Salted caramel ice cream finishes it.
On the walls hang photographs of the Klapdohr family hotels and the family crest. The kitchen is led by Executive Chef Eric Puskaric, formerly of Bear Lake Reserve, alongside General Manager Scott Travenier from High Hampton and Bridge at Mill Creek.
A chef who could have opened anywhere, who has cooked for the world, chose a 40-seat room in the mountains and put his family’s name above the door. That’s not a small thing.
Restaurant Klapdohr is located at 490 Carolina Way, Highlands. Open Tuesday–Saturday in season. Doors open at 5:00 P.M. Walk-ins welcome, for reservations call (828) 482-0087 or online at restaurantklapdohr.com.
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